Interning at Our House, a youth shelter in Redlands, has been a learning experience. I have learned a lot about the foster system and how awful and disorganized it really is. The organization I am interning for tries to help these foster kids and kids who have runaway from their homes as best they can. But since they are a government-funded program, their resources are limited as well. Between the restrictions of the system and the many factors that put youth on the streets, once they are out there it is made near impossible for them to get back on their feet.

I have spent a total of 4 days volunteering at Our House and in those 4 days I have only touched the surface of what I believe I will learn not only about myself but also about the organization as a whole. Before Friday I had felt like my services at the center were not needed but finally on Friday I was given responsibilities such as answering the phone and participating in group sessions that let me see the first glimpse into how the organization runs.

In my short few days of interning, I’ve learned that working in a shelter is a job all about relationships. The relationships you make with your clients, the ones with your piers and the ones with your superiors are what make the job what it is. Listening to the stories of all the staff made me realize that this organization is purely there for the kids. Our House is there to help the ones who need a boost, a support system, somewhere safe to live. But they are not there to take in the trouble cases; they do not have the resources to be the fixers. They don’t want the violent ones or the ones with a tendency to run, because if they do run, the chances of a staff running after them are slim to none. One of the staff made a comment to me saying “if one of the clients goes AWOL (runs away) while I’m working there ain’t no way I’m running after them.” This statement didn’t come from a place of dislike of the clients, but rather from a place of taking the remaining clients best interest to heart. “You cant save them all” one of the staff once said to me, but you do what you can for the ones who want your help. And this is what Our House is all about. They are there for the ones who want help. The ones whose parents have bailed on them or who haven’t found their place in foster care. They are there for support; to create a place that some can call home. They are there to help these kids in need, not save them.